Fresh off Chicago win, Alex Bowman is excited to get to Pocono Raceway

The 80-race winless streak is no more. Alex Bowman is locked into the NASCAR Playoffs and he has a Chicago Street Race win to his record. The best part? He gets to immediately go to a track he has won at in the past, Pocono.

Right now, the momentum is on Alex Bowman’s side. Coming off his win in Chicago, I spoke to Bowman about that moment, looking ahead to Pocono, and of course, the postseason.

Winning a race was the priority this season. With his last checkered flag coming in 2022 at Las Vegas in the beginning of the season, it was a long road. A concussion injury and a broken back within six months. A new crew chief in 2023 with Blake Harris. A lot of doubters and haters. The outside noise was starting to be loud.

Then, in one weekend, the pressure goes away. With it being the Chicago Street Race and the end of his winless streak, Alex Bowman puts this win up there with his first-ever in the Cup Series as far as importance.

“For myself, I just wanted to win at a road course, we’ve run second a couple of times and been really close, just haven’t been able to make it happen,” Bowman explained. “So, it feels really good to get a win at a road course or street course.

“As far as ranking it in my wins, I would rank it up there with my first win with as long as it’s been and as difficult as it’s been to get back to Victory Lane after kind of everything that’s happened in between now and Vegas in 22, it’s super meaningful for me to get back to Victory Lane.”

For Alex Bowman’s sponsor, Ally, it was a huge win as well. Bridget Sponsky, executive director of brand and sponsorship marketing for Ally, described the feeling of watching the win.

“Alex is a part of the Ally family, he’s an extension of us, he’s an extension of our team, and I think when we see the 48 out there, it’s more than the 48,” Sponsky explained. “You know, we know Alex and we know who’s driving the 48 car and who’s behind it, and he’s a reflection of us we see in there. So, I think when he wins, we all feel it.”

Compared to where this team was just a year ago, this win makes all the difference.

The mood shift from 2023 to 2024

Last season, Alex Bowman struggled. However, he wasn’t alone in his struggles. His Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Chase Elliott, also had to deal with his fair share of adversity. Both the 9 car and 48 car went winless in 2023.

This year, HMS is back to being a four-headed monster. Each driver has at least one win, Kyle Larson and William Byron each have three a piece, and there is a lot of energy around the organization.

“I feel like we’ve been in a better spot this year. I would say the month leading into Chicago was really rough on us,” said Bowman. “We had a lot of things happen completely outside of our control that cost us a lot of points and had some bad days, which weren’t a lot of fun. Other than that, we’ve been doing a really good job and the team’s been doing awesome. I think across the board, HMS is in a better spot right now. All four cars are definitely, you know, doing what we need to be doing.”

So, what is the secret? What has changed from 2023 to 2024? Well, Alex Bowman is healthier now. He and Blake Harris have had more time together. Ultimately, this team stuck together and weathered the storm.

“Blake and I have a great relationship and I think we just identified the areas we were weak last year and just went to work on trying to make those things better. Not unlike what we were trying to do last year, right? You’re always focused on those areas and trying to make them better. … It’s Blake’s first win as a crew chief so that was really special to share with him. There’s like seven guys on our team that have never won a race, too. So, being able to do that with all of them was really cool.”

Now Bowman and the 48 team are going to try to make it back-to-back wins as they head to Pocono. They have some Best Friends along for the ride, too.

Alex Bowman is off to see his Best Friends at Pocono

The timing of a win can be just as important as the win itself. Coming off of Chicago, Alex Bowman and the 48 team can be confident heading to a track where they have won at previously, Pocono.

Last season, Bowman was quick but just didn’t have it in the end to win. Still, the confidence is there. Even better, Bowman and Ally are teaming up with Best Friends Animal Society in New York City, not just on a paint scheme, but also for a great cause.

“Pocono’s been a good place for me. We were really fast there last year,” said Bowman. “It’s an interesting race track, right? Like, you can make a lot of strategy calls. Even if your car is not very good you can typically throw strategy at it to help your day or at least give yourself a shot. I’m excited to get there, it’s a place I enjoy, it’s a fun racetrack.

“Yeah, I think it can be a really good day for us. Going there with a win and having Best Friends on the car, going to their place in New York on Friday is going to be a lot of fun too. So yeah, it should be a great weekend for us.”

The driver and Ally have raised $650,000 for homeless pets and are covering all adoption fees from July 12-14 on all Best Friends Lifesaving Centers in the United States. Of course, Bowman recently adopted a dog of his own, Huck.

Alex Bowman is headed to Pocono with a win in his pocket and a few friends along for the ride. Can he get it done again and grab another checkered flag on Sunday?